Just The Way You Are
by ElilPotter01
Summary: A small bit of fluff between the Doctor and Clara. Clara decides to fill the silence on the TARDIS with some music. The Doctor walks in. Takes place after Journey to the Center of the TARDIS.


**The Doctor and Clara: Just The Way You Are**

The Doctor polished the time rotor with flourish as Clara walked into the control room, towel over her shoulder and her hair damp. She leaned onto the console puzzled.

"I feel exhausted. I feel—"

"We've had two days crammed into the space of one." The Doctor interrupted. He walked around Clara, swinging the rag in his hand to another panel of knobs and levers. Clara looked up at the Doctor's explanation.

"Why would you say that?" she asked.

"I don't know." Answered the Doctor. "I say stuff. Ignore me." He turned back to fiddling with switches. He couldn't let Clara remember their most recent adventure aboard the TARDIS. Not just for the sake of keeping his secret; he honestly didn't know what would happen to Clara's brain if she remembered both time streams. Human minds were so unpredictable. Clara realized she wouldn't get any further explanation, and not wanting to get in the way of the Doctor's tinkering, turned to leave.

"Do you feel safe?" the Doctor blurted. Clara turned back. The Doctor was still leaned over the panel but had stopped fiddling with the buttons.

"Of Course." Clara answered. The Doctor pushed off the panel and turned towards her.

"Give me a number out of ten. Ten being 'Woo hoo!'" he waved his arms in a grand gesture. "One being," he paused and let out an exaggerated scream. "Aaahhhh!"

Clara stared at him bemused and cocked an eyebrow. "You're being weird." She turned again to leave the console room, but the Doctor caught her arm on the steps.

"I need to know if you feel safe." He pleaded. "I need to know you're not afraid."

"Of?"

The Doctor let go of Clara's wrist but still held his close gaze. "The future." He stated. "Running away with a space man in a box." He continued. He leaned closer and spoke softer and more ominous. "Anything can happen to you."

"That's what I'm counting on." Clara replied in the same hushed tone. The Doctor stood motionless, stunned. This was why she was his Clara. Always brave. Always exactly what he needed. Even if she didn't realize it. Backing up slightly, Clara nodded towards the console.

"Push the button," she suggested and left the room. The Doctor continued to gaze at her as she left. When she had left his line of vision, he turned his gaze down to the rag in his hand and smiled. He flung it into the air sending the cloth to the nearest panel. He hopped back to the console settling on the main lever that would send them hurtling in space to their next destination. He paused, looked up at the rotor with the grin still plastered on his face. He pulled the lever and the blue box jerked into motion.

Clara walked down the halls toward her room. She didn't necessarily live on the TARDIS but it was still nice to have her own space to retreat to, and sometimes their adventures did last more than one day. Walking inside, she took the towel from her shoulder and laid it on the bed. Kicking the flip flops off her feet, she made her way to the dresser and picked up the hairbrush getting to work on her thick brown locks. Not caring for the silence the immense ship tended to have, she softly hummed a tune from her childhood. Her mother's taste in music seemed to have grown on Clara since her death.

"Don't go changin', to try and please me. You never let me down before. Mm Mm Hmm Mm Mm." She started to sing quietly. She wandered around the room, the soft plush carpet against her bare feet and the scarlet walls made her feel very much at home. Satisfied with brushing, she twirled back to the dresser setting the brush back onto the tabletop. She now turned her attention to the rest of her room, picking up stray articles of clothing and straightening knick knacks here and there. She continued to sing.

The Doctor leaned against the railing in the control room, arms crossed and still smiling.

_Do you feel safe? _

_Of course._

_Anything can happen to you. _

_That's what I'm counting on. _

Oh his Clara. He never could let anything happen to her. Not after everything she did for him. After the Ponds, he thought he would never go back to traveling the universe. He never dreamed that this petite girl full of spunk and adventure would come into his life. She had made him better. If it weren't for Clara, he'd still be on top of his cloud, and the Earth might not exist. It'd be filled with ice people. Shaking out of his diminishing reverie, The Doctor swung down the steps and walked down the TARDIS's corridors. He needed something to do. Something that would keep him from his thoughts. Deep thoughts were always dangerous. He started to whistle. Turning down a corridor he continued his original melody. Passing by a red door, he suddenly stopped. From the other end he could distinctly hear someone singing.

"I said I love you. That's forever. This I promise from the heart. Mm Mm Hmm Mm Mm."

How had he not realized that he passed Clara's room? And was that really Clara singing? She sounded beautiful. The Doctor couldn't resist. He backtracked to Clara's door, and opened it a crack.

"I love you just the way you are!" She sang, spinning in a circle in the middle of the room. The Doctor opened the door a little more and leaned against the frame. His Clara. So funny, so pretty. She hummed some more, swaying back and forth and spinning occasionally, oblivious to his presence. Losing himself in the moment, the Doctor lost his bearing against the doorframe and stumbled into Clara's room, causing her to pivot quickly towards the door. Her eyes wide and her cheeks a furious shade of pink.

"Sorry! Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," The Doctor stammered, regaining his balance, "I just-" Now fully upright, the Doctor paused at a loss for words. Clara's big brown eyes stared back at him. She looked so pretty, her cheeks full of color, her toes curled into the carpet, and her eyes staring so openly. "You sounded lovely," The Doctor murmured. Clara looked down at the floor. Her cheeks turning a brighter pink.

"Thank you," she whispered. The Doctor inched closer towards her and took her hand. Clara's head snapped back up. Her face composed into a puzzled expression.

"I mean it," The Doctor whispered. "You sang beautifully."

Clara gazed into the Doctor's face. "Really?" she whispered, so soft it was barely audible. The Doctor cupped her face with his other hand.

"Absolutely,"

She smiled. Her eyes shining with happiness and the glossiness of unshed tears. The Doctor beamed back and planted a kiss on top of her forehead. He patted her hair and turned to leave the room. Reaching the door, he turned back questioningly at Clara. She stood there still smiling. He smiled back and left, closing the door behind him. Clara stood there a moment longer, staring at the red door.

_Don't do it, Clara. Remember the trick._ Shaking her head, she turned back to the dresser and proceeded to fix her hair once again.


End file.
